Gary (RighteousBruin) came to Boulder this morning. We had a quick breakfast and went for a hike on Mesa Trail.

It was cold and foggy, but the trail was still full of people and dogs. Salem is restricted to the leash even on the trail because he has been a very naughty dog, and he was a pain in the ass for the first half of our hike. Gary was kind to him, anyway. 

 

 

It was terrific to meet him and to discover that he is just as kind, genuine and fun in person as he is on Xanga. Thank you for stopping by, @RighteousBruin!

 

A little more than forty years ago the longest women’s running event was 1500 meters. It was commonly believed that women couldn’t run long distances because it would harm their reproductive abilities, their uterus would literally fall out and their hymens would break. It was believed that running led to infertility and caused miscarriages. 

 

The first woman wasn’t allowed to enter the Boston Marathon until 1972. This was after years of women running unofficially in the marathon and being scorned and abused for disgracing the event. Now, 53% of the people crossing the marathon finish lines are women. Last year 7 million women completed marathons. 

Women are especially adept at ultra running. (30+ miles). Women are lighter and have a higher pain threshold than men, which might not make them faster or stronger but more persistent. I recently read about Ann Trason, who completed the grueling 100 mile Leadville, CO trail race in 13:47:42. She had the Tarahumara tribe (a tribe of legendary ultra runners) calling her La Brujeria (The witch) for the challenge she gave them.

 

I’m not sure I ever wish to run a 100 mile race at 10,000+ feet in elevation, but I know I want to follow their lead and use my body to the best of my ability. I have started tracking my miles in March, and have 183 to date. That is also walking and hiking, but it’s a good start. 

I saw an article about women’s motivation for running, and it included things like:

1. Calorie burn

2. Inexpensive equipment

3. Time – workout/calorie burn efficiency

 

I am sure those things are true, and probably why I started running 8 years ago. But the reasons I continue to run has little to do with working out and calorie burn. I run to:

1. Find “me time” – No matter what is going on with kids, spouses, work, money, family – when I am running I am focused on me. No phone calls, no to do lists, just my footsteps and progress.

2. Meditation – Most of my perplexing questions and nagging problems are solved in the solitude of the road or trail.

3. Anti everything – There is no better way for me to stave off depression, anxiety, worry than to hit it hard. An hour or 90 minutes running offers me peace that lasts throughout the day.

4. Health – No, not just weight loss. I feel physically better when I run. I feel strong, powerful, in control of my body, my breath, my footsteps. I feel my heart and can control how strongly it beats by controlling how fast and hard I run. 

5. Explore – I have seen more beauty and natural wonders when I am out on the trail than I could ever find on a road trip or watching the discovery channel. Seeing coyotes in the morning fields and streams come and go through the seasons has meant more to me than any cruise or vacation I have ever taken. I like to incorporate running in new places when we do travel so I can explore more in my own way.

6. Joy – I have never experienced elation like I have when I beat a PR, or run my longest run, or just have one of those magical days where everything flows together naturally. I feel joy physically, mentally, and spiritually – whereas in other areas of my life I can experience one form of joy or another, but never all together.

I know running isn’t for everyone, but I hope everyone finds their own happy place that offers them what I have found on the trail.

I would like to thank @ZSA_MD for her post on gratitude. She wrote a beautiful poem about gratitude (http://zsa-md.xanga.com/762467466/gratitude/) that reminded me to quit feeling sorry for myself and look at how fortunate I am.

Just like everybody else, I get down in the dumps. The dog misbehaved and now my knee is all torn up – I can’t run on it for awhile. It will be months before I see my youngest daughter, I am not working this summer and feel pretty useless, and so on… But it is really ridiculous to waste my time moping when I have better things to do.

I am healthy and happy (with the knee exception) and so is my family. That alone is reason to be very thankful, I have a large family and no misfortune is happening to any of them. Regardless of any mistakes made in the past by me or my family, health alone gives us the opportunity to try again. 

I live in a beautiful area that I chose. I didn’t get stuck where I grew up or where the jobs were, I was able to chose where I live and build a life here that makes me happy. I get to enjoy the outdoors in the way I want to that makes me happy. This isn’t what would make everyone happy, but it makes me happy. I have the life I chose and built, and continue to build, and for that I am grateful.

I have so many experiences to relive. These experiences, good and bad, shaped who I am and how I see the world. Without the good experiences, I wouldn’t know what I like. For example, I know that I like to hike and explore the outdoors, I know I like to meet new people and try new things. I know I prefer to stay away from crowds and urban areas and explore the natural beauty of places. Without the bad experiences, I wouldn’t be able to empathize and have a multi dimensional way of looking at scenarios. I would be more judgmental and less compassionate. I am as grateful, if not more, for the pain and rough patches I have been through as I am the great parts of my life, because I would be so much less than I am today had I not experienced things.

I have so many things I want to do, and for that I am grateful. I know many people who don’t want anything, really. They want to go to work, come home, hit a movie or a club on the weekends. That is fine and well for them, but I am grateful that I still want to do and experience life outside of the everyday drill. 

Finally, I am glad that I live in a nation and a time that offers me choices and freedoms to live as I choose. This isn’t the perfect place or the perfect time, but when I look around at the oppression, violence, famine, war and disease of so many other places – I thank my stars I am where I am. I am grateful I have a voice, a choice of how involved to get in my community, and an equal presence. I am grateful that I don’t have to say how great my husband is because he never beats me. (I just read that in a book and I was taken back to when that was really something to be grateful for.) I am grateful I can read, write, vote and choose any field to work and play in. 

Thanks @ZSA_MD, for reminding me to pull my head out of my ass and be grateful. 

 

Last year my husband and I took a 6 week summer trip along the east coast and visited the Appalachian Trail. We only day hiked the trail, the entire trip was spent camping in different areas of the country and we weren’t prepared for any backpacking, but we decided to hike the entire route – a couple weeks a year.

This year while planning our summer, we realized we have our own amazing trail here, the Colorado Trail. It is 500 miles long and takes 4 to 6 weeks to hike in its entirety. Right now we are only planning 2 weeks this year, but that could change. 

 

The trail is a multi-use trail and is also used for bikers and people on horseback. It’s inception was in 1973 by Bill Lucas as a bi-centennial project. The trail runs from Denver to Durango, with much of the elevation above the timberline. It was called “The Trail to Nowhere” in an article in the Denver Post in 1984 (http://www.coloradotrail.org/trail_to_nowhere.html) and was built with grants and volunteers. 

We are planning to start the second week in July. I have been having fun reading books about backpacking and trying to get into shape hiking. There are multiple stopping places for showers and to buy more food and wash clothes. Much of the elevation is above timerline, so I am still trying to figure out how we are going to store food safely away from bears. I have a lot of research to do before we go. 

When we complete this trail we will go back to the Appalachian Trail. The Appalachian was beautifully green and lush and I have always wanted to hike that one, but I want to see the one closer to home first. I think if I can survive this one, the lower elevation of the Appalachians will be like “A Walk in the Woods”. (I loved that book!)

 I love summer, and try to fit as much fun and outdoors rec as I can in during the warmer months. I am not a skier, so the snow doesn’t make me as giddy as it does so many other Colorado folks.

If we make it back without being eaten by bears, I am sure I will post about it so much you will all be sick to death of hearing about it.

 

How do people keep doing these astro chart things? I have never been very good at it, other than my daily horoscope that comes in my inbox.

Where can I find directions? Or would one of you lovelies lend me a hand?  I know I am a Leo, and my Chinese sign is a Tiger, and that is the extent of it.

My birthday is 08/07/1974. I owe anyone who can help me a beer!

Last night I woke up with nightmares about rattlesnakes.

 

I have seen quite a few since moving here. I am not worried about getting a bite myself, I know the chances of fatality is almost none. Of those who do die of snake bites, 80 percent of them don’t have enough venom in their system to kill them, it is the adrenaline that kills them. They are literally scared to death. 

I do worry about my dog being bitten. In Boulder County, dogs are permitted off leash. This works out well for us, we can hike and explore and not stumble over each other on single trek trails. But the chance of him running into a snake is high. 

They do have a vaccine, but it is more than 1000 dollars and is often ineffective because it only works for a single type of snake. They also have aversion training, but that is the same. Very expensive and not guaranteed to help. So if my loving companion of more than 100 pounds gets bit on top of a peak, the chances of him making it back to the car and to a vet before it was too late is slim.

I am not sure what my realistic solutions are. Keep him on leash and heeling? What fun would hiking with him be, then. Stay in town with him on the sidewalks? Try the vaccine and/or training? Lift weights so I can fireman carry him down from a peak in time? All of the above?

Snakes are the worst part of CO. I am tired of these mother f*****g snakes on my mother f*****g trails. 

 

Quick rundown of Vegas - 

It wasn’t as exciting as I thought it would be. It was fun, and great to spend the time with my family and watch my sister get married, but even with the cool Red Rock Canyon it wouldn’t be my vacation place of choice. 

 

We left at 4 am.

 

This is my brother and his girlfriend, Samantha. We picked them up in FC Friday morning and spent most of our time with them.

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We did enjoy 2 dollar margaritas, though.

 

Samantha and I met BumbleBee.

The next day I went for a run in Red Rock Canyon park. It was cold when I started and hot when I finished, but pretty all the way. No snakes, spiders or wildcats caught me.

 

The stone kitchen was used by Native Americans, you can’t see the fire pit where they cooked food. I thought it was strange that it was in such great shape. 

 

After the wedding, we went to the Stratosphere.

That’s my dad, still holding his football shaped margarita. 

 

This is my mom, her drink is as big as she is. 

 

They have been married for 38 years now.

Everyone was hot, tired, and had too much to drink. We next went to the Old Strip, which was so much cooler.

Everyone’s feet were tired, so Corey started taking care of sore feet.

 

The next day, I did nothing other than lay by the pool. I had no desire to see anymore, drink anymore, eat anymore. 

Now we are home, recovering. I am so grateful there is no indoor smoking in CO. Sorry about the length of this post, but there was so much to see. Next family trip will be somewhere with fewer flashy lights, I hope! 

It’s so good to be home.